86 Golf Shift Rod

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 5:10 pm

My main shift rod broke on me the other day, right at the shifter. The weld at the collar that goes around the shifter to the rod itself. Me and the mechanic at the trucking company I work for got it out and I took it to a welding shop and had it welded back on. Now, I am having trouble getting it into 5th gear, you have to force it. The guy at the welding shop that re-welded it for me said that he could make me one that was solid instead of that thin tube that is there. He said that he could even put the bends in it, I was just wondering if it was even supposed to have any bends in it to start with.

VWCaddy · Post by **VWCaddy** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:10 pm

Believe that rod has bends in it to make it work right. Likely you did not properly align the clamp on the end of the rod after repairing it:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ ... html#FAQ10
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ ... ngProblems

Probably have to rotate that clamp a little to center it for 5th and 1st-2nd gear access.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:11 pm

VWCaddy wrote:Believe that rod has bends in it to make it work right. Likely you did not properly align the clamp on the end of the rod after repairing it:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ ... html#FAQ10
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ ... ngProblems

Probably have to rotate that clamp a little to center it for 5th and 1st-2nd gear access.

What is strange to me is, it works great early in the morning when I drive it to work. In the afternoon when I drive home is when it gives trouble, go figure. When we put it back together, I noticed that the collar wasn't sitting down very far on the plastic part of the shifter. I was concerned about that because of reverse since you have to push down on the shifter. When you push down on it, the collar comes almost all the way up onto metal part of the shifter. But it goes into reverse just fine, it's 5th gear that gives problems and that's only in the afternoon on my way home from work. That one still has me scratching my head.

VWCaddy · Post by **VWCaddy** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:52 pm

As noted on the page above, have someone sit in the car and try to shift into 5th. Then from under the hood, move the linkage by hand the rest of the way into 5th and see what extra motion it takes, then adjust the linkage to make it do that.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:17 pm

VWCaddy wrote:As noted on the page above, have someone sit in the car and try to shift into 5th. Then from under the hood, move the linkage by hand the rest of the way into 5th and see what extra motion it takes, then adjust the linkage to make it do that.

Thanks Caddy, I'll check it out ASAP.

duffer · Post by **duffer** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 11:25 pm

Be sure to check your transaxle oil level.

Low oil level seriously affects 5th gear.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 6:01 pm

I took it in to a guy who specializes in VW, he said I probably need a new shift rod. We may not have gotten it welded back quite straight and also the relay shaft bracket is worn. Does anybody know if these parts are even still available?

VWCaddy · Post by **VWCaddy** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:24 pm

May still be available, not sure if Jack has those type of parts, but a dealer parts counter might be able to find some.

A guy bought this new brkt. a few years back when I designed new bushings for it:

Or hit up a junkyard.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:35 pm

Thanks again Caddy, I'll check with jack the first chance I get. It's just puzzling to me that it does just fine in the morning on the way to work. It just gives a little trouble on the home in the evenings. If I put just enough pressure on the shifter it'll go in. I can get by with it as is, but if someone else was to drive it, they may have a hard time with it.

VWCaddy · Post by **VWCaddy** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 8:47 pm

uzzo2 wrote:It's just puzzling to me that it does just fine in the morning on the way to work. It just gives a little trouble on the home in the evenings. If I put just enough pressure on the shifter it'll go in. I can get by with it as is, but if someone else was to drive it, they may have a hard time with it.

Never saw test results posted, but again, with it cold and warmed up, have someone try shifting into 5th and see if you can see any change in the shift linkage motion when it is cold and when it is hot. And see what moves when you put "enough pressure" on the shifter into 5th.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:22 pm

VWCaddy wrote:
uzzo2 wrote:It's just puzzling to me that it does just fine in the morning on the way to work. It just gives a little trouble on the home in the evenings. If I put just enough pressure on the shifter it'll go in. I can get by with it as is, but if someone else was to drive it, they may have a hard time with it.
Never saw test results posted, but again, with it cold and warmed up, have someone try shifting into 5th and see if you can see any change in the shift linkage motion when it is cold and when it is hot. And see what moves when you put "enough pressure" on the shifter into 5th.

The only problem there is that I leave for work about 3 AM, my wife probably would divorce me if I got her up that early

The guy I brought it to had me watch it while he was moving it. There was a little slop in the relay shaft bracket. I wouldn't have thought that it would have made that much difference but he seems to think so. We were both in agreement that it is a very poor design. I think I'll just try Jack when I get a chance and see if the rod and the bracket are still available. I have the alignment tool so if I can get my hands on the parts I'll just replace them and go from there.

VWCaddy · Post by **VWCaddy** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:32 pm

So is the slop in the bracket itself or the bushings in the bracket? Can't quite picture how the bracket itself could be worn out unless it had been run w/o bushings for a long time or it is not bolted in tight.

uzzo2 · Post by **uzzo2** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:13 pm

VWCaddy wrote:So is the slop in the bracket itself or the bushings in the bracket? Can't quite picture how the bracket itself could be worn out unless it had been run w/o bushings for a long time or it is not bolted in tight.

The bushing is there, it's orange but all of that I am thinking should have been replaced last year when I had the rear main seal and a new clutch installed. I went ahead and ordered the entire kit, linkage, bushings, etc... that came with the alignment tool. Whether the kit had that particular bushing or not, I don't know. I am leaning towards the shift rod itself since I wasn't having any problems with it until that weld broke at the collar.